Editorial: If you don't vote, don't complain

Get your vote in for the amalgamation referendum.

By now most people will either have voted or have a clear idea of how they are going to vote in the amalgamation referendum which ends on September 15.

If you haven't voted by now, you had better do so quickly because your vote needs to be in the post by September 10 to guarantee that it will get there in time.

I am sure many people cannot wait until it is all over and one way or another we will have a final decision on how the people of Hawke's Bay want their province governed at a local level.

This has been a very divisive process over a number of years, with some strong personalities on either side determined to ensure that their side wins.

That is understandable as there is a lot at stake but hopefully once the people have spoken, our leaders can put aside their differences and work together, whether or not amalgamation has gone through.

This newspaper has not and will not tell you how to vote. However, we do encourage you to make sure you vote as you cannot complain about the way the vote goes if you did not bother to tick a box. At this stage it is quite difficult to tell which way the vote will go and the best thing is to wait and see what happens.

Rest assured, though, whatever does happen, we will be holding our local leaders to account.

There has been a lot of talk from both sides, so whoever wins will need to ensure that the promises made on the campaign trail are kept.

The time for sniping and negativity will be over and amalgamation or no amalgamation, it will be important for our leaders to have a broad and shared vision for our province.